I have chosen to address my African Brothers and Sisters today on occasion of the 2023 anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also called the World Human Rights Day. I do this with a high sense of humility and responsibility. As an International Not-for-profit Non-governmental Organization and also an Intergovernmental organization, the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) with Special UN Consultative Status will continue to push that the world leaders and everyone accepts the fact that Human rights are extremely important for the overall development of the

If we take a look at the basic human rights, we see how there are right to life, the right to practice any religion, freedom of movement, freedom from movement and more. Each right plays a major role in the well-being of any human.

Right to life protects the lives of human beings. It ensures no one can kill you and thus safeguards your peace of mind. Subsequently, the freedom of thought and religion allows citizens to follow any religion they wish to. Moreover, it also means anyone can think freely.

Further, freedom of movement is helpful in people’s mobilization. It ensures no one is restricted from traveling and residing in any state of their choice. It allows you to grab opportunities wherever you wish to.

Next up, human rights also give you the right to a fair trial. Every human being has the right to move to the court where there will be impartial decision making. They can trust the court to give them justice when everything else fails.

My Dear African Brothers and Sisters, let’s stick together in loyalty and devotion to our African continent during such World celebrations of this nature especially to show a sense of African consciousness and placing primary emphasis on the Human Rights protection for the peoples of African countries and interests. It is in this spirit that I have chosen to recount in my message to you some Human Rights positions of three African nationalists.

On 6 March 1957, barely a decade after the adoption of the Declaration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN, Ghana’s then–prime minister, Kwame Nkrumah, told a huge celebratory crowd at the Old Polo Grounds in the capital, Accra: “At long last, the battle has ended! And thus, Ghana, your beloved country, is free, forever!” Ghana, a former British colony, had just gained independence. In his speech Mr. Nkrumah aptly invoked the principles of equality, freedom and justice for all—the same principles that the declaration enshrines.

Before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, then Republic of the Congo) became independent in 1960, Patrice Émery Lumumba, a historical figure in the continent-wide independence movement, emphasized that self-determination in Africa was a basic human right, underscoring the relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the fight for independence. “Let [the West] today give proof of the principle of equality and friendship between races that its sons have always taught us as we sat at our desks in school, a principle written in capital letters in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” Mr. Lumumba said in 1959 at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, a renowned center of intellectual ferment in colonial Africa. “Africans must be just as free as other citizens of the human family to enjoy the fundamental liberties set forth in this declaration and the rights proclaimed in the United Nations Charter,” he added.

In 1955 then-president of the African National Congress, Chief Albert Luthuli, said, “People from all walks of life [must meet] as equals, irrespective of race, color and creed, to formulate a Freedom Charter for all people in the country.” The Nobel Foundation awarded Mr. Luthuli the Peace Prize in 1960 and described him as “the leader of ten million black Africans in their nonviolent campaign for civil rights in South Africa.”

As we commemorate today, we should rededicate to struggling for the rights of our African countries today and tomorrow. Once you start taking a small step, one day you are sure to find your way. I sincerely believe that all of us will never give up on our Dreams and will continue to work persistently to make our Dreams come true. All you need to do is dare to dream and put it into action. Thanks